Five on Friday

Happy Friday!

The short weeks always feel more wild than usual, right? Let’s get down to it because I am determined to finish tackling the piles and piles of laundry from our Bandits Roost NC Camping Trip. Speaking of camping, I updated our Car Camping Essentials (and Packing Lists) post if you’re planning your first camping trip and aren’t sure what to bring!

Reader Top 5 Faves This Week

1. DID YOU FEED THE DOG? This tracker has helped me not panic after the kids get on the bus in the mornings and I’m not sure if anyone fed Mabel or not.
2. The Wellness Defense Complex Chewables from my Weekly Top 5 Favorites was a big hit! This supplement contains a powerful blend of vitamins, herbs and nutrients including echinacea, elderberry, astragalus, marshmallow, mushrooms, and zinc. We use it to boost our kids immune systems at the beginning of the school year.
3. The tennis skortsie dress Abby and I wore for our tournament last week! I cannot tell you how many compliments we received on this dress! It’s on sale too!
4. I love how many of you are excited about a walking pad! I am consistently getting 10-16K steps in almost every day now and love it.
5. Another week in the top 5 for the Dishwasher Magnet!

And if you want to know what my top 5 items were this week, you can see them HERE!

1. Woman’s Day Magazine Feature

If you’re standing in the grocery checkout line and see a Woman’s Day magazine, flip to page 27! My school pencil snack is in there!!! I literally squealed when I saw my little snack in print!

2. Book Review: One of Us Is Dead by Jeneva Rose

Rating 4/5 stars: I LOVED this book. This gripping story dives deep into the glamorous yet vicious world of high-society women in Buckhead. It is packed with intrigue, deception, and a cast of morally complex characters that kept me hooked from start to finish. The friendships are fragile, no one is innocent, and everyone is hiding something. Oh, and it’s spicy too!

Book Summary: Opulence. Sex. Betrayal … Sometimes friendship can be deadly.

Meet the women of Buckhead—a place of expensive cars, huge houses, and competitive friendships.

Shannon was once the queen bee of Buckhead. But she’s been unceremoniously dumped by Bryce, her politician husband. When Bryce replaces her with a much younger woman, Shannon sets out to take revenge …

Crystal has stepped into Shannon’s old shoes. A young, innocent Texan girl, she simply has no idea what she’s up against …

Olivia has waited years to take Shannon’s crown as the unofficial queen of Buckhead. Finally, her moment has come. But to take her rightful place, she will need to use every backstabbing, manipulative, underhand trick in the book …

Jenny owns Glow, the most exclusive salon in town. Jenny knows all her clients’ secrets and darkest desires. But will she ever tell?

Who amongst these women will be clever enough to survive Buckhead—and who will wind up dead? They say that friendships can be complex, but no one said it could ever be this deadly.

3. Bambird Scramble Charlotte

Charlotte friends, if you love to play mahjong, you should consider registering for Mahj In The City’s Bambird Scramble!

It’s a ladder-style mahjong competition where you can sign up as an individual or a team. The format allows participants to propose and accept matches at their convenience, anytime and anywhere (similar to Terri’s Tennis Ladder).

The Fall Bambird Scramble League lasts 8 weeks, starting next week on September 9th and running through the week of October 28th.

As a bonus, my friends at Mahj In The City have given me a discount code to share with you! Use CAROLINACHARM10 at checkout to save 10% on your registration!

My friend McKinsey and I signed up as a team and we hope we get to play with some of you!!!

4. Fall Family Photos Outfits

It’s hard to believe it’s time for fall family photos!!

Our photos are in a few weeks so I’m starting to pull outfits together — isn’t that the least fun part, always?! I usually start with myself and then build everyone else’s outfits around mine. But in my defense, I always think my outfit is the hardest to find!

Anyway, if you’re looking for some inspo, here are some fall family photo outfits from various retailers.

5. Bent Mascara Fan

This mascara fan has been all over my Instagram feed, thanks to the beauty influencers I follow, so I had to try it out for myself! You can use it for both top and bottom lashes, but I picked it up specifically for applying mascara to my bottom lashes (I’m still obsessed with false lashes on top). And let me tell you — I get the hype! This tool enhances your lashes for a much more natural look than a traditional mascara wand, and it completely eliminates clumps. I simply swipe the brush with my mascara wand and then paint my bottom lashes. And then wash the brush after each use. Love it.